Unexpected Reunion
by Eonn
Summary: A storm rages across the archipelago, blowing a young Nightfury far from home and a certain Viking chief closer to his lost wife and son.
1. Prologue- The Storm

"Hiccup! Hiccup, it's time to come in, dear!" The woman sighed as she looked towards her four winged dragon. "He's hiding out there again. Cloudjumper, you mind?"

_Of course not! _The dragon cooed before taking off to scour the rocky beach for mischievous boy. Valka could only smile as the Stormcutter landed a quarter mile down the shore. Hiccup burst out of his hiding place and laughed as Cloudjumper pursued him. It was one of Hiccup's favorite games, after all. As the dragon launched himself into the air, the boy safely on his back, Valka could help remember how they arrived at this island those seven years ago.

She remembered the dread, the absolute horror she felt as a dragon broke into her home. How she was almost sick when she found the dragon poised over her only child's crib, yet could not hear the terrified cries she expected. Then a child's giggle released her fears. She lowered her weapon when she realized the dragon meant neither of them harm. Valka always knew that there was more to dragons, but now she could finally see the love and care in the gleam of those intelligent eyes. It was a shame he husband could not see that. He burst into the room, throwing his axe and the dragon moved to defend itself. She made a last second grab for her son as her home went up in flames, only to be grabbed herself by the retreating dragon. The rest was history.

She was broken free of her thoughts of the past as the very same dragon touched down nearby. While Valka could not say she was not afraid when she first encountered the Stormcutter, she now knew the dragon would never harm her of her son.

"Aw, Cloudjumper, you're no fun." Spoke Hiccup, who was trying his best to look upset.

_You just need to learn how to listen. _Cloudjumper huffed.

"Come on, Hiccup." Valka said to her son as she climbed onto her dragon's back, sitting behind her son. "You see any other dragons out here? They're smart and know to take shelter when a storm comes."

As if to prove her point, a strong gust tore across the beach as the day became noticeable darker. Thunder rumbled in the distance and the first drops of icy rain fell. Hiccup just sighed, knowing the 'I told you so' look he was positive his mother was giving him.

With a beat of his double set of wings, Cloudjumper rose into the sky and darted into the nearest opening of the ice structure that served as the nest for the multitude of dragons who resided on the island. Hiccup, being Hiccup, was off on his next adventure as soon as the Stormcutter landed. Valka could only hope he was not getting himself into too much trouble.

As mother and son returned to the nest, miles away father was far from home. Three ships, each filled with heavily armed Viking warriors had left Berk on yet another nest hunt. A heavy drop of rain landed on the nose of one of the men. He took a second to wipe the offending drop off before turning his attention upwards, to the swirling black clouds above. With the sunlight filtering in from behind, the sky was cast in a sickly green hue.

"Sir," The man addressed the captain of the ship, "this don't look like a normal storm." The captain, too, gazed up to the sky.

"If the chief hasn't given order to turn back yet, he must think we'll be able to ride this out." The conversation ended there. In truth, Stoick was preoccupied with going over the events of previous explorations. He knew his men and their equipment were ready, but something was off. Something that became disastrously apparent five minutes later.

"Bring down the sails!" A soaked Stoick shouted over the howling wind. "Bring the ships together, someone tie the supplies down!" I the middle of his commands, a loud **SNAP!** made itself heard, even over the storm. The ties securing the sail on Stoick's own ship had chosen that particular moment to fail; without them the wind caught the loose fabric and tore the lone ship away from the rest of the fleet.

"Stoick, what should we do?" Gobber asked to his lifelong friend, trying not to sound as desperate as he felt.

"Cut the sail off, and pray that Thor has mercy on us." Stoick replied grimly.

"Chief!" Came a shout from one of the shrinking ships, dipping into and out of view in the distance. Crew rushed to cut free the sail, but they were already at the mercy of the storm. Where they found themselves after the storm was over was anyone's guess.

Somewhere above the black rainclouds, mournful coo was choked out by the winds. The last light of day was the only way the small black dragon, still a fledgling, could be seen. The storm had caught the inexperienced Nightfury off guard when he strayed from his parents. Now he was far from home, with no idea how he could return.

_Mom, dad, help me!_ He whimpered. But no help came. His wing muscles burned. Just a little longer, he told himself. Mom will appear behind me and everything will be fine. He telling himself that until the very moment his wings gave up on him. He fell, more like a rock than the proud master of the air he had been raised to be. Far below him, an island appeared through the fog and mist of the storm. With one last burst of strength, he spread his wings to slow him just enough that he would survive the impact.

On the ground, he pulled himself close to a large rock in hopes that it would at least provide the smallest amount of shelter. He did not have the energy to do any more, and did not even notice as he slid into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 1- The Calm

There they were, the best warriors of Berk: Their ship battered and broken, their supplies missing or soaked in sea water. This in itself was nothing a group of able body Vikings could not deal with. It was the mountain of ice rising from the very island they were beached on that was the source of their blood chilling dread. They had been searching for this, or at least something like this for their entire lives only to find the nest when the group was utterly unprepared and far from home.

For the longest time, no one spoke. No one quite knew what to say, so the crew stood on what remained of the vessel just staring in grim anticipation. It was Stoick who found his voice first. His message was simple, but could summarize what was on the entire crew's minds.

"Odin help us." The words seemed to break the spell over the men.

"Sir, what'll we do?" One Viking asked, his knuckles whitened as he clenched the handle of his axe. His eyes searched the skies for any signs of the winged beasts. He praised Thor he found none.

"What _can_ we do?" Asked another, suddenly realizing just how small they really were.

"Ay, now!" Gobber interjected. "Stoick 'as led us through countless battles and don't you ferget it!" His previous valor was lost as Gobber turned to the chief. "But, ah, Chief? What should we do?" Stoick smiled, his face hard with determination. He was never one to back down from a challenge, and today was not going to change that.

"Disembark." He ordered. "Search for material to repair the ship. Then we'll go to Berk, and bring back anyone who can hold a weapon. This may not be the nest we have been searching for, but I'll be damned before I let this opportunity slip by."

"Ay, sir!" The crew shouted, moral rising. They were Vikings, after all. They could take this nest and all the dragons in it.

Stoick was the first one to step onto land, noting the abundance of large boulders along the beach. When he was still a boy, he had enjoyed hiding with his friends in such a landscape. At least, he did until he was old enough for more aggressive war games. Climbing on top of one such rock, he turned to address his crew and divide the tasks that needed done among them.

"All right, quiet down! All you lot, listen here!" All eyes turned to him. Besides the breaking of waves against the rocks, the beach was silent. Yet, just as he opened his mouth to deliver orders, he noticed -something- out of the corner of his eye. Not wanting to be caught off guard by a dragon, even a tiny one, Stoick turned to get a better look.

It disappeared behind one of the larger rocks, but Stoick knew he saw something. He motioned for the rest of the warriors to stay quiet as he crept towards the obstructing rock, as silently as someone his size could manage. Slowly, he drew his sword. A pace away from the boulder, he gave up any stealth he had and leapt around it, blade poised to impale whatever he had seen. What he had seen was not a dragon. It was a boy, and small one at that.

"Good gods, lad! You almost got yerself killed!" Stoick practically roared as he pulled the boy to his feet. The men on the ship groaned. They were ready to kill something! But this raised a question. Why would a boy be playing around a dragon's nest? "What are ya creeping around for anyways?"

"Mom doesn't like it when I'm out alone." The boy said, meekly examining a pebble by his foot. Stoick rested his hand on his brow and returned his weapon to its sheath.

"She always sends Cloudjumper to get me, and he doesn't like playing games. He's no fun." Hiccup explained, finding enough courage to look up towards the much larger man.

"So you live here? Near that thing?" Stoick said, gesturing towards the icy fortress.

"We live in that thing!" Hiccup replied proudly. "Mom, Cloudjumper, me, the king and all the rest!"

The fear of the Vikings felt pointed them to a false, though obvious conclusion. Humans could not live with dragons! So if this very human boy claimed that he lived here, it must just be some very odd settlement. As far as they were concerned, Cloudjumper was just the name of some Viking. Let's face it, they have heard worse.

Stoick's hardy laugh fills the air, breaking the tension in the air. "And here we thought we'd be fighting for our lives! Let's go meet this king of yours, maybe we can work out a deal to get our ship and provisions replaced."

"Yeah, he'd help you! He's very nice, he even lets me climb on him sometimes and he always finds the best fish!"

"Sounds like a man of the people! Gobber, you're with me. The rest of you lot, try to salvage as much of our supplies as you can."

The adventure that brought him to the beach forgotten, Hiccup decided to pretend that the ground was on fire and the only way to stay alive was to leap from rock to rock on the way back towards his home. The men following him must not have understood the game, so they became mighty stoker-class dragons; immune to such an inferno. As he paused for a moment to allow the lumbering dragons to catch up, he took a second to wonder where his mother and Cloudjumper were. They were not part of this new game, so he gave it little thought.

* * *

><p>Miles away, a certain four winged dragon and its rider followed a cyan Nadder towards a small island.<p>

_There!_ The Nadder squawked. _Right where I saw him last. See, I told you!_

_ Right, _Cloudjumper humphed, annoyed by the smaller dragon. _Return to the nest. Get some help to gather a few fish for him when we return._

_ Of course! I'll get the best fish!_ The Nadder flew off, already thinking up a story to tell how he, against all odds, was able to save the hatchling. Cloudjumper just rolled his eyes as he descended.

After landing, Valka slowly approached the small dragon. "I've never seen anything like him." The Nightfury's wing and tail pulled away from his face. To say he was startled would be an understatement. The little dragon was immediately on his feet, trying to make himself look intimidating by arching his back and flashing his teeth and claws.

_Aww, he looks like a spooked kitten. How cute! _Cloudjumper rumbled in a draconic laugh.

_I'm not cute! I'm ferocious!_ The Nightfury hissed.

"Don't worry, we're here to help you." Valka spoke softly while crouching down and offering her palm to the hatchling. The dragon sniffed at her, but was not inclined to do anymore. By his body language, Valka could tell he felt a little less threatened.

"No serious injuries, just a little worse for wear." Valka murmured to herself, looking over the small dragon's glossy black scales. "Come on, little one. Let's go back to the nest. We have food for you there."

_No! I need to find my family. Besides, what do you care, human?_

_ She is a friend to dragons, and she is right. You're too weak to fly far._

There was a pause as the Nightfury considered his options.

_ Fine. _The young dragon sighed, defeated. He was young, not stupid. He didn't want to admit it, but he needed their signaled that they were leaving. Valka climbed onto his back along with a reluctant Nightfury, who only rode with the human passenger because he was threatened by Cloudjumper that he would be carried like the hatchling he was otherwise.

That problem aside, the group was soon heading back towards their nest.


	3. Chapter 2- Bad Ideas, Bad Jokes

"Wait! Boy, slow down!" Stoick called out as he and Gobber fumbled through the rocky tunnel. The little light that trickled in from the mouth of the cavern was barely enough to see by. Combined with the many formations of rock that impeded the larger men and they were left wondering what sane person would use this path.

"You two are really slow." Hiccup said from his perch on a ledge as he watched Stoick and Gobber shove themselves through a narrow opening between two natural pillars.

"This can't be the only way in! Maybe an easier to navigate path would be a better idea." Spoke Stoick, who was trying hard not to sound too enraged. Out of all possible entrances, this had to be the worst. He honestly considered if the boy was just playing with them.

"Well this tunnel is the only way in unless you have wings." Stoick and Gobber exchanged glances. The boy must have thought this was fun, to lead representatives from other tribes astray. "Unless you want to go in through the exit, but that's just impossible. It's an exit!"

"Is this exit 'ny easier ta navigate?" Gobber asked, exasperated.

"You can't get in that way, it's an exit. Hey! Where are you going?"

* * *

><p>"Oh." A few minutes later, the group stood outside the exit.<p>

"I told you, but would you listen?" Hiccup scolded the older men as they gazed up the steep slope of ice. "Let's go in through the exit! You think I don't know my way around my own home?" The ice slide may have provided a quick way to the beach, but getting back up was impossible. Hiccup has tried before for fun.

Stoick paid little attention to the boy, though. There was something a bit more concerning. He could have sworn he heard- there it was again! The sound of wing beats. A dragon was approaching, fast.

"Quickly, hide!" He ordered as he pulled the scrawny boy behind a fallen shard of ice. Gobber also ducked under the cover of the pile of ice. Hiccup took a peak from their position before ducking down again.

"That was close." Hiccup whispered. "I would have been in a lot of trouble if they saw me." The trouble the Vikings imagined and what Hiccup meant were two very different things.

In the sky, Cloudjumper let out an annoyed sigh. The ice was not enough to conceal three people, especially when two of them were over-sized. Or were they normal, and Valka was small? Regardless, the fact that they were even on this island was a cause of concern. Cloudjumper decided he Nightfury's meal would have to wait, and changed course. Valka, feeling her friend shift, quickly found the problem. She could only brace herself for the trouble she knew was coming.

"It's comin' toward us." Gobber reported.

"You ready Gobber?" Stoick drew his sword as the dragon touched down somewhere in front of them.

"Always." Gobber replied, reading his bludgeon arm.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Asked a genuinely confused Hiccup. Both men leapt out from their cover, charging an unimpressed Cloudjumper.

"Wait, stop!" Hiccup called as he dashed out after them. He caught up to Gobber first and grabbed onto his weapon hand. Stoick closed in on the dragon but before he was close enough to harm the Stormcutter, he found himself on his back with his breath knocked out of him, staring up at stars in the day sky. Cloudjumper had taken his feet out from under him with a quick sweep of the dragon's tail.

"'ave ye gone mad laddie?" Gobber yelled at the body clutching his weapon.

"Stop, it's just mom and Cloudjumper!" The men's eyes turned to the figure that had just dismounted the dragon, with a hissing black bundle tucked under one arm. The black dragon found its way less than gracefully to the ground as Valka realized just who it was that found their way to the nest.

"Oh, this is goin' ta be interstin'." Gobber said softly, seeing his friend's eyes widen.

"V-Valka? Yer alive!" The Stoick said, though it was a little more than a whisper.

"Stoick, it's been awhile." Valka spoke, not willing to look her husband in the face.

"Which means," Stoick's eyes flashed to Hiccup, who had taken to investigating the dejected looking hatchling. "You're both alive!"

"I'm sorry, Stoick. What kind of wife am I?" Hiccup was paying little attention. He pulled some dried fish from his pocked and poked it at the Nightfury. Both Cloudjumper and Gobber were more focused in the interactions between Valka and Stoick. "But how could I have gone back? There is more to dragons than the village could ever imagine! You have every right to be upset, but nothing you can say will convince me my choice was wrong."

Stoick said nothing at first. He took a few steps towards his long lost wife. Valka was ready for the worse. To be yelled at, shamed or berated.

"You're as beautiful as the day I lost you." She was not ready for that. Her defenses visible crumbled, and Stoick moved to embrace his lost love. After a few moments, Valka pulled away and was on top of Cloudjumper in an instant. Valka paused to take a deep breath before continuing.

"Let me show you my world." She spoke with conviction. Maybe, just maybe, everything could work out. There was a chance, right? Cloudjumper, purposefully not being gentle, grabbed the large man and flew into the nest with him.

"See, this's why I never married." Gobber said as he watched his frightened friend disappear into crevice in the ice. Hiccup, who was currently holding the Nightfury like a baby, considered the brawny man for a moment.

"There's probably other reasons." He said bluntly. One side of Gobber's monobrow raised. "Let's face it, that mustache can't be helping any."

A slight rumbling came from the little dragon. If Gobber did not know better, he would think the lizard was laughing at him. Hiccup knew that was exactly what the dragon was doing.

"Now what do you know 'bout facial hair, laddie?"

"More than you, apparently."

_This is too good!_ The Nightfury could barely breath it was laughing so hard. Hiccup chuckled too, though Gobber could not say he found anything particularly funny about the little nuisance.

"Did yer mother teach you any manners?"

"Did your father teach you how to shave?"

Gobber's glare told Hiccup that it was time to find something else to do. He decided it would be a good time to find his mother and hurried off the entrance.

_Wait, where are you going? I want more jokes!_ The hatchling roared indignantly.

Gobber decided he did not want to be alone near a dragon's nest and hurried after the boy.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**First of all, I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has followed of favorited this story. It really makes my day when I open up my email and find that so many people like my story. So, thank you all!**

**Now I have seen a bunch of these stories where Hiccup becomes some feral dragon boy, and some of those are still great works, but I wanted to go with something different. I want to show how Hiccup could have been if he had not been ridiculed his entire life. The result would be somewhere along the lines of an extremely sarcastic boy who does not always know when to keep his mouth shut, while at the same time being curious about everything around him. I also wanted to capture a bit of book Toothless as a younger, less mature movie Toothless  
><strong>

**Sounds simple enough.**

**Anyways, see you next time,**

**Eonn**


	4. Chapter 3- Gone Again

"Valka! Valka, put me down!" The only time Stoick had ever been afraid, or at least that he would admit, was when he was forced to watch helplessly as his family shrank into the distances as they were carried away. This, however, was quite a frightening experience. While Stoick was in no real danger, the rock pillars a carven walls seemed so much closer than they actually were. Though unwillingly, Stoick pulled himself a little closer to the four winged dragon.

"Valka! This isn't funny. Get me down!" Valka did not acknowledge hearing him but gave a tap on Cloudjumper's neck. Stoick was about to shout again when they gracefully descended into a small cavern. Stoick was dropped from a short distance above the ground so Cloudjumper could land properly. Stoick took the opportunity to retreat a few steps from the dragon.

"Sorry, this is the only way in unless ye want to squeeze through tight openings the whole." Valka climbed off of the Stormcutter's back. The dragon turned to his rider and gave a happy coo. Valka smiled in return.

"That's… that's _the_ dragon. The one who took you, isn't?"

"Oh, Cloudjumper never meant to harm us. He just must we belonged here, though it's a bit more impressive on the inside."

"So you stayed away, fer seven years, because that beast wanted you here?" This elicited a hiss from said beast.

"This beast allowed me ta raise our son away from a warzone. They're kind, gentle creature, Stoick. When I looked into Cloudjumper's eyes… I knew that in an instant. I'm sorry you couldn't find that peace yerself. Besides, I don't believe Cloudjumper would have taken me back even if I wanted to return."

If Stoick had not been so used to politics, to keeping a straight face, Valka would have known what she just said tore her husband's heart in two. For seven years, Stoick had refused another bride. Now he found the one he wanted back all along, just to be told she never tried to return to him. Stoick's pain fueled an anger so intense he could not keep it out of his voice.

"You want to raise Hiccup in a safe place? So do I! But it's that monster's ilk who raid our town. Who steal our food, who burn our halls to the ground!" Stoick paused to let his point sink in. "They're demons, and the world isn't going to be safe until every last one of them are dead!"

"You don't mean that." A soft voice came from one shadowed corner of the room. Stoick turned to the boy, his son. Tears welled in his eyes, and he was squeezing the hatchling tight enough that it might have had trouble breathing.

"Hiccup-" Stoick was disgusted, knowing that it was his own outburst that upset his son.

"No! Shut up! You're stupid!" The boy screamed before taking off down another dark passage. Valka's rage was visible in her eyes as she glared daggers into him.

"Go patch up yer ship's hull." She spat. "I'll get a Seashocker to pull you back to _your_ home. Only the Seashocker is to return, and it better do so unharmed." With that, she was on Cloudjumper and flying deeper into the nest.

A grunt and steel scratching stone announced Gobber's entrance from the tunnel Hiccup had come from. Gobber instantly knew something was wrong when he found his downtrodden friend instead of the wiry boy he was following.

"Stoick? What happened?"

"I lost her again. Odin gave me another chance, and I wasted it." Stoick sighed. "Come on, back to the men." They returned to the ship in silence.

* * *

><p>Hiccup was sprinting as he entered to main chamber. Tears distorted his vision, but he knew where to stop to avoid running off the ledge and falling into the king's pool. He sat down on the rocky ground, setting the Nightfury in his lap, and with balled fists cleared his eyes. Upon opening his eye once more, he found that the White King had risen up to his elevation and was watching him.<p>

"It's not fair! How can he say those things?" The king cocked his head, thinking for a moment. Hiccup's eyes had dropped to the ground. He did not notice as the king's mouth cracked open, releasing a burst of frost.

The icy wind swirled in a vortex around Hiccup, grapping his attention. He had seen the king build and rebuild portions of the nest with great amounts of ice, and was told the king marked new arrivals to the nest with a quick burst of frost, but this was the first time Hiccup had seen this.

After a few revolutions around the boy, the ice settled on his hair, skin and clothes. Hiccup shivered as he dusted the frost layer off him. It was a simple gesture, or at least Hiccup thought, but he was once again smiling. His smile faded as a surprised gasp escaped his mouth.

_It is time we spoke, Hiccup._

"You can talk?!"

_I could always speak. Now, you can listen._

"Does it work with all dragons?" Hiccup turned to the Nightfury

_Feed me._

Hiccup giggled. "Silly toothless dragon."

_Hiccup,_ Hiccup once again turned to the White King. _I would not think of giving this gift to just anyone. Even your mother does not know of this. I give it to you because of your greater destiny._

"Destiny?" Hiccup was intrigued.

_The man that has hurt you has done so only because an evil queen has targeted his village. He is ignorant to what we truly are._

Hiccup got a sense that he was included in 'we'.

_You, however, can represent us. Show their nest the good in us. Do not let them blindly hate us. Then, one day, you shall face down the corrupt one. With their nest at your back, you will succeed._

"I can change them? They're not going to hate anymore!" Hiccup was on his feet, almost cheering. The Nightfury had fallen out of the boy's lap and sprawled out on the ground.

_Correct, but first you must find your way to their nest. I suggest you make haste._

"Right, thank you."

_Good luck._

"Hiccup! Hiccup, are you alright?" Cloudjumper landed nearby and Valka raced to embrace her son. "I know that man said bad things but-"

"It's alright mom! I'm going to get some fish for Toothless," He looked towards the Nightfury, whose eye lit up at the mention of food, "Then the king told me I was going to go on an adventure!"

"Alright, son. I'm glad to see you didn't let what he said get to you. And one of the Nadders brought back a big catch, he might share if you ask nicely."

"Then right after that I'll be leaving, so I might not see you for a while, so bye!"

Valka chuckled as her son ran off. "Can you believe my son's imagination?" She said to the White King, who was still watching. The great dragons laughed as he disappeared back into his pool, though Valka did not realize it was at her expense.


	5. Chapter 4- The Stowaway(s)

A cheer rose up from the crowd of on looking Berkians as their chief's battered ship limped into port. Stoick eyed his men. He made himself clear during the surprisingly quick trip home that no one was to speak of what they have witnessed, even though only he and Gobber did any of the witnessing. The crew was not stupid, but they could only wonder what could shake their chief up enough for him to swear them to secrecy.

The town fell into their regular routine of unloading the weathered men after a nest hunt gone wrong. Families reunited with their loved ones, surviving supplies were unloaded and the ship was brought in to a workshop for repair. Stoick stood back with Gobber, watching a man from the crew drop his pack and kneel as his son jumped into his arms. The wife was not far behind and gave the man an earful about scaring her before joining in on the loving embrace. Stoick could not make himself feel happy for the family. Not after what had happened with his own.

"Stoick-" Gobber tried to console his friend.

"Gobber, just leave it be. I'm never going to see them again." Stoick reached for a barrel that should have contained his belongings. As he hefted it over his shoulder the barrel's contents shifted, surprising the tired man. The wooden container fell, splitting open on the ground. Gobber smirked while Stoick brought his hand over his brow.

"Oh, the irony." Gobber chuckled.

"HICCUP!" Nearby towns people turned to see what the commotion was about.

What they saw was a small boy, no older than seven, spring from the splinters and raise a small dragon over his head like a trophy. "And Toothless!" He shouted gleefully. The dragon launched an appropriately sized fireball into the air, drawing even more attention.

"Does that boy…" The crowd started to mumble.

"He's holding a dragon."

"Is he mad?"

"Maybe daft?"

"Stoick!" Someone finally spoke in more than a whisper. "Who is this boy? And why is he holding a dragon?"

Stoick turned from Hiccup and Toothless, who were both beaming, to face the onlookers.

"Alright, listen here all of you. It would seem that there are Vikings out there that, well…" He did not want to say live with dragons. "Can control dragons! They are an odd lot an' I wasn't planning on having anything to do with 'em, but these two must 'ave though differently. Now go back to what you were doing, I'll take care of… guests."

With that Stoick turned back to where the boy was standing only to find him gone. Gobber only shrugged.

* * *

><p>"Alright, bud. Our mission is to show them how awesome dragons are."<p>

_Good thing I'm here._

"HA. Haha. You're so funny. But seriously, what should I tell them?"

The friends had been wandering the streets for a few minutes now. Most of the people had been down at the docks, so the town was fairly empty.

_Tell them to bring me fish._

"Get some new material."

Just after saying that, a very large boy turned the corner towards Hiccup. The boy's arms were laden in books, blocking off his vision as he shuffled forward. At the same time, Hiccup was occupied with the Nightfury in his hands. The resulting collision flung the books and said lizard into the air. Both of the boys cowered as the heavy tomes rained down around them. Toothless gracefully, though not happily, landed lightly on Hiccup's head.

"Oh, gods, I-I'm so sorry!" The larger boy exclaimed as he helped Hiccup to his feet. "Hey, I've never seen you around. I'm Fishlegs."

Toothless' ears perked. _Fish? Where!_

"It's fine. Really. We are used to people being bigger than we are."

"We?" It took a moment, but Fishlegs' confusion quickly turned into surprise. "T-there's a d-dragon. On you." He said, taking a few steps back.

"Hm? Oh. It's just Toothless."

"It's not going to attack?"

"No. Why would he?"

Fishlegs' forced himself a step closer to the strange dragon. His curiosity overwhelmed him and the floodgates opened.

"Why is he so passive? What kind of dragon is that? Are all of the dragons of that species like that? What is its bite rating? What about venom? And Speed? He looks like he has high stealth. Maybe even ten or eleven!"

Hiccup was taken aback by the onslaught of questions. He looked to Toothless for a moment, as if the Nightfury was any less confused than he was.

"Umm… yes?" Was the only was Hiccup could answer. "Here," Hiccup plucked the dragon off his head and offered him to the larger boy. "He likes being held."

_Like being held? _Toothless snorted. _What do I look like to you, some kind of lap-dragon?_

"Cram it, lizard. You can't deny it." Hiccup once again pushed the dragon towards the apprehensive Fishlegs.

"Um, you know, uh," Fishlegs shuddered as he shrunk away. "I really appreciate the, um, opportunity to study this, uh, whatever dragon it is but I got-" His eyes scanned the surroundings, looking for an excuse. "Books! My books are everywhere and I need to take them to- a place. So I'm just going to take this, and this, and your foot is on this one, thank you; Goodbye!" With that the boy hastily shuffled away.

"It seemed like he was scared of you." Hiccup murmured, holding Toothless closer.

_Good, he should be. He didn't even say where the fish was._

Before Hiccup could respond, yet another boy his age shoved against him. This time, however it was not an accident.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there." The boy was barely taller than Hiccup was though, and was subtly flexing his young muscles. He was flanked by yet another two kids of nearly the same age. Those two honestly reminded Hiccup of a Zippleback.

"Yeah, because you're so small." The male twin chimed in. The female just stared at Hiccup with a dreamy look in her eyes. Hiccup was not sure which one scared him more.

"Hey, what you got there?" The first boy said, approaching where Toothless had curled you on the ground and was surly pouting about his mistreatment. "I think that's mine." With that said, he reached for the dragon and non-too gently hoisted Toothless into the air. By his tail. The bully's face dropped when he found he was holding a very peeved dragon. With a roar a house cat could make, Toothless launched himself forward and chomped down of the offending arm.

"Daddy, daddy, get it off!" The boy screamed as he flailed around. Hiccup smirked as he climbed to his feet. The twins were rolling on the ground, laughing. Hearing the chaos, Stoick knew in his gut that his son was involved and mad his way to the scene. Just after Stoick turned the corner, Toothless lost his grip and was flung into the air. Just like before, he landed gently on top of Hiccup.

"Snotlout, what's going on here?" Stoick demanded, as Gobber and a man who bore a striking resemblance to Snotlout arrived behind their leader.

"Chief! That monster bite me!" He pointed to the Nightfury, who could not have been more pleased with himself. "Kill it!" Snotlout ordered.

"So much for peaceful dragons. Come on son, I'll hold the beast down. You can gut it." The man Hiccup had not seen before said.

"No, please, don't. He- Snotlout was being mean."

"Why is it so easy to believe that?" Gobber commented.

"There will be no killing." Stoick said, sounding very much like the leader of a Viking tribe.

"But sir, if that animal hurt my son-"

"The dragon has not hurt anyone." Stoick said, pulling Snotlout's arm out for all to see. While red and coated in saliva, there were not any marks to suggest a bite. Flabbergasted, Snotlout glared at the Nightfury. Toothless mockingly smiled, showing pink gums for a moment before a row of dagger like teeth slid into place a second later. "Now Hiccup,"

"And Toothless!"

"Right. Come with me, I'll let you stay in my home while you're here."

* * *

><p>Back at the nest, Valka sat next to Cloudjumper at a large, flat rock which served as a table. Two dinner plates were laid out, along with fish for the dragons. One plate and the smaller pile of fish sat untouched.<p>

"Cloudjumper, 'ave you seen Hiccup recently?" The dragon growled a negative in response. "Strange, it's not like him to miss meals in a row like this. He couldn't 'ave flown off. He still has to be here unless…" the mother's eyes went wide. "Cloudjumper, we need to leave. Now." The two were in the air in a moment, heading for Berk. "Curse that boy's curiosity."

_He gets it from you, you know._ Cloudjumper grunted.

If they had stayed for a few more minutes, they would have been able to watch as two black dragons silently glided into the nest, landing before the king. Each of the Nightfuries dipped their head out of respect, but the king interrupted them before they could speak.

_You have just missed your son. I am able to point you in the right direction, but please take the night to rest first._

This was the first news of their missing son the parents have received and while they wanted to act on it, they have been flying without rest for far too long. They agreed to spend the night in the safety of the White King's nest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Yes, yes, I know. This was late, and I'm sorry. But y'know, finals and things. Got to love college!**

**Anyways, this chapter was kind of weird for me to write, with other characters like Snotlout and Fishlegs showing up. It took longer to write than it should have, but I think it came out well. I hope you feel the same!**

**Until next time,**

**Eonn**


	6. Chapter 5- Paradigm Shift

Hiccup woke with the sun as a new day dawned over Berk. Toothless, on the other hand, was still curled up adorably against Hiccup's side. It made Hiccup reconsider stirring, at least until he remembered the dragon's antics the previous night. Whether Nightfuries were nocturnal or it was just Toothless being a hatchling was unknown to Hiccup, but he was grateful that he got to sleep when he did. The crime could not go unpunished though, and Hiccup began to jostle the dragon.

_No! Leave me alone!_ Toothless moaned.

"It's time to get up!"

_Make me, human._

"Fine." Accepting the challenge, Hiccup picked up the grumpy hatchling, tucked him under his arm and headed out of the room and down the steep stairs.

"'Morning, Hiccup." Stoick greeted as the pair made their way into the main room of the home. He stood over a pot on the fire, sloping something into a bowl. "I made breakfast, hope you're hungry! I also got so fish for the dragon."

At the word 'fish', Toothless shot out of Hiccup's grasp. As Hiccup found a place at the table, Toothless instantly homed in on the pile of cod and began to cram them down his gullet as quickly as possible. Hiccup was less enthusiastic with the meal given to him, poking at the grey mush with his spoon before tempting fate with a bite.

Stoick did not seem to notice his son gag before shoveling the meal into the cooking fire. He was more concerned with keeping his own cooking down. Toothless was actually the only one who was enjoying the meal. A few awkward minutes passed as Hiccup and Stoick stared into their bowls, neither knowing quite what to say. The oppressive silence persisted for a few minutes before it was, much to the relief of both humans, broken by a knock at the door. Stoick, grateful for an escape, rushed to answer. Hiccup peeked past Stoick to see who was there. He was mildly surprised to see Fishlegs.

"Ah, Fishlegs! What do you need?"

"Well, sir, I was wondering if maybe Hiccup was here?"

Stoick turned to holler over his shoulder. "Hiccup, ya got a visitor!" The boy had already gathered his engorged dragon and was heading towards the door.

"Thanks for the meal!" Hiccup said as he dashed out the exit. Stoick closed the door behind him and let out a huge sigh. As a chief, he has had to sit around a table listening to other tribe leaders argue about anything that crossed their minds. Yet the meal with his son had been by far more awkward. There must have been something they could talk about, but what?

Outside, Hiccup had taken the opportunity to get far away from the house as quickly as possible, forgetting why he left in the first place.

"Hey! Wait up!" Fishlegs, who was struggling to keep pace, called after him.

"Oh, uh… sorry. What did you want?" Hiccup said, pausing to allow Fishlegs to catch up.

"Well, you see, we have this book-"

"A book? Mom taught me to read, but we didn't have any book back home. Can I see it? What's it about?"

"Well, it's about dragons. Everything we know about them, actually." Fishlegs could not help but sound a little smug. "But we don't have that kind of dragon," He gestured to Toothless, who was lazily flitting through the air. "So we should add him to the book!"

"Sure, sounds great!"

_Hmm? What are we doing?_ Toothless purred dreamily as he came to rest on Hiccup's shoulder. Fishlegs began to lead the pair to the great hall, where the book was kept, as Hiccup replied.

"We're going to add you to a book."

Toothless gave his friend a puzzled look. _I'll just assume that makes sense to you._

The doors of the Hall were cracked enough to allow the boys entrance. Inside, the fires had burned low and only a few straggling men remained from breakfast. Hiccup seated himself at the nearest table as Fishlegs retrieved the book from the far corner of the room. Ever curious, Hiccup began surveying the cavern-like room. What he saw made his stomach churn.

The walls, the pillars, everywhere! Every available surface was decorated in brightly colored tapestries, each depicting a dragon being maimed, decapitated, gutted or slaughtered in some other way. Looking up was even worse. Suspended from the ceiling was a golden dragon statue, complete with a sword skewered through it. Hiccup's attention was brought back as a large book thudded heavily on the table. Fishlegs, ignorant to the other boy's distress, flipped the book open to a random page revealing yet another illustration of a dead dragon.

"I can't wait to add a new entry! We'll be like Bork the Bold!"

"No… No." Hiccup muttered weakly as he clutched Toothless close to him. Fishlegs looked up from the book, finally noticing Hiccup's state.

"Fishlegs, is he okay?" A new voice came from the entrance, its owner approaching the boys as Hiccup struggled to keep his meal down.

"Astrid! Um, I don't know. I just came back and, well, he was all pale like that."

Astrid, despite being the same age as Hiccup, only needed to glance at the retching boy to tell what was wrong. After all, it was not so long ago when she was in the same position. But then she was young and inexperienced. Watching her uncle, the fearless Finn Hofferson and last member of her family, being snatched up by the Flightmare had really gotten to her. But now, well there was a reason the young girl kept an axe that was too big for her strapped to her back.

Astrid shook her head, as if to shake off the memories, before addressing the blanched boy. "Listen, kid." She stated indignantly. "Berk is a land of kill or be killed. If you want to pick daisies with dragons, go back home."

"But this is so horrible. Dragons are kind creatures! Why would you kill them like this?"

"Kind?" Astrid scoffed. "Their killers. I'm surprised the chief is even letting that runt in your arms stay alive."

His sickness forgotten, Hiccup stood from his bench with zeal burning in his eyes. "They're not killers!"

"Then go to the Kill Ring." Astrid smirked as she issued the challenge. "There's a dragon there right now, trying everything in its power to kill the trainees."

"I'll show everyone. Then you'll have to stop." Hiccup said before storming out the door.

"Uh, Astrid? Do you think that was a good idea?"

"It'll be find. He'll take one glance at the fight and never look at his pet the same way again."

"But that dragon is actually kind of nice. It even made Snotlout look bad."

Astrid rolled her eyes. "Fine, if you insist, I'll stop him." With that Astrid turned towards the Hall's great doors, leaving the husky boy alone.

* * *

><p>"Are you insane?!" Astrid cried, pulling tightly against Hiccup's wrist. She had not realized how fast the boy was, and only caught up to him when he paused at the edge of the ring with the few other observers. She was just close enough to grab his arm as he tried to slip through a gap in the bars and into the fray going on below.<p>

"I have to start somewhere." Hiccup murmured to himself.

"You're going to get yourself killed!" Astrid yelled, looking around for someone to help her. Unfortunately for her, everyone else seemed absorbed in the fight.

"I'm going to do this." As he said that, Astrid felt something slick and slimy sliding across the hand she was restraining the boy with. She froze, glancing down. Meeting her petrified gaze was the little black dragon, who almost seemed to smirk as he coated Astrid's hand with saliva.

Astrid tore her hand away and screamed in disgust, allowing Hiccup to slip through the bars unimpeded. The whole ring grew silent as everyone- human and dragon alike- turned to the boy who had just jumped into the Kill Ring.

The dragon, a rather young female Nadder (Hiccup could tell the age and gender by the particular colors which adorned the reptile), was the first to react and the closest to the new arrival. She prepared to roast the boy, readying one of her last shots. The next few seconds seem to stretch on for days as every onlooker prepared themselves for what they were sure would be a grizzly death.

Confidently, Hiccup closed the distance between himself and the dragon in a few steps. With only a few feet between the two, Hiccup reached his palm out. The fire died in the Nadder's throat as the boy hand came to rest ever so softly on her snout. The dragon considered him for a moment, before closing its eyes and nuzzling its head into the boy's embrace.

_Little hatchlings, do you not realize you should fear me? _The Nadder purred, though Hiccup recognized that this was not a threat.

Hiccup turned to face Astrid, who like everyone else was frozen in shock. Wordlessly, he beckoned to her. Astrid gulped, but would not let her courage be called into question. She dropped into the pit and approached the dragon. Hiccup took her non-slimed hand, placing it where his was a moment before. The Nadder began to purr and Astrid could not help but smile in excitement.

Astrid could feel the warmth of the dragon, and the subtle vibration of its scales as it purred. Could dragons purr? This one was. 'Maybe,' she thought, 'Hiccup was on to something after all.'

"Work together, you two, and no one can hurt you again." Hiccup spoke solemnly over the bonding pair.

Stoick chose that moment to arrive on the scene. He could tell something was terribly wrong just by the faces of the observers. He approached the edge of the ring, almost expecting to see someone dead. What he saw was a bit more surprising.

"What's going on here?" The chief exclaimed. He was answered by the rider of a four winged dragon which had just descended into view, its rider dropping gracefully to the ground in front of Stoick.

"What you see here is the true nature of dragons." Valka spoke proudly to all who had gathered. "The only thing to question," She continued, turning to address Stoick. "Is whether you can accept this or not."

Taking a moment to collect himself, Stoick replied. "If it means reuniting my family, then it'll be an easy decision."

The day ended with Stoick thrilled at bringing his family back together, Valka being finally content with her husband's world views, many confused villagers and a girl who was going to be a Viking prodigy finally having someone to share her home with.

Staring out over the ocean, he sighed. "It's not over yet. The queen is still out there."

_Do you think we can stand up to something as powerful as a queen?_ Toothless crooned.

"One day we'll have to. Come on, let's go get some rest."

* * *

><p>In the dead of night, when only a few watchmen remained awake, two shadows glided into the village. One landed briefly, catching the scent of the pair's lost hatchling. It was strong, but contaminated with the scent of humans. The Nightfury coo mournfully as it rejoined its mate in the sky. It was not long till dawn, and neither wanted to be caught by Vikings.<p> 


End file.
